NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

NASA Headquarters, in Washington, provides overall guidance and direction to the Agency, under the leadership of Administrator Michael Griffin. Ten field centers and a variety of installations conduct the day-to-day work, in laboratories, on air fields, in wind tunnels and in control rooms. NASA conducts its work in four principle organizations, called mission directorates: Aeronautics: pioneering and proving new flight technologies that improve our ability to explore and which have practical applications on Earth. Exploration Systems: creating new capabilities for affordable, sustainable human and robotic exploration Science: exploring the Earth, moon, Mars and beyond; charting the best route of discovery; and reaping the benefits of Earth and space exploration for society. Space Operations: providing critical enabling technologies for much of the rest of NASA through the space shuttle, the international space station and flight support.